5 Things to Do While Waiting at Universal Orlando Resort

Everyone knows waiting in line can be frustrating. It doesn’t matter if it is a few hours or 20 minutes behind the lady at the grocery store. The lady who ignored the seven items or less sign and felt like she was the exception with her 30 items and 25 coupons. That may test your patience but so does waiting two hours in line for an attraction.

Here are 5 ways to help you pass the time waiting for parades, rides or your dinner table reservation. Some might even make the experience fun.

1. Heads Up!

Have you ever been waiting in line and see someone holding their phone to their forehead? Did you wonder what they were doing? Well, they are playing the game Heads Up! There are numerous versions of the game. Some are free and some cost a few dollars. All version are pretty much the same.

Heads Up! is a hilarious guessing game. It’s so much fun. The game originally appeared on The Ellen Show and was turned into a phone app. Players will choose a category from the options available; celebrity, animal, character etc. One player places the phone on their forehead to start. A word will appear on the phone and the second players will give clues to what the word is. The player with the phone then guesses the word. The goal is to guess the most correct answers correct before a timer runs out. It’s all pretty simple. A neat feature is the game can videotape you while you are playing. It can make a funny video for after. To be honest most of my families videos just ended up being the other person’s forehead. My family gets super involved in the game and probably gets too loud.

A neat feature is the game can videotape you while you are playing. It can make for a good laugh sometimes. My family’s videos end up being the other person’s forehead though. My family gets super involved in the game and probably gets too animated.

The game makes the time fly by. Just make sure to keep moving or people around you will get upset at you. It’s easy to get caught up in the game and forget to keep the line moving. Speaking of the line around you, sometimes other people will join in. This always turns into a really cool moment. It’s always neat to hear how different people from around the world will describe the same thing.

2. Character Sounds

Some people like to pass the time while waiting for rides or parades by faking accents the entire time. They try to speak in a foreign accent and it can be quite humorous. The problem is this game can sometimes be insulting to people around you. With people from all over the world visiting Universal Orlando Resort, you don’t know who is standing in line beside you. You can easily offend someone if they think you are mocking them.

A safer way to play is to pick well-known characters. Try to speak like a character instead. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings if you are speaking like Bart Simpson or Tony The Tiger. A great idea is to speak like a pirate the whole time. Unless Jack Sparrow is eating ice cream beside you, you are pretty safe. If he is, you tell him to get his butt back to Walt Disney World.

3. Alphabet Naming

This is a super fun game for older kids or adults. Take turns saying characters in alphabetical order from the Universal Orlando Resort universe. For example, A is for Agnes Skinner, B is for Bumblebee, C is for Curious George. Try to get through the entire alphabet before you get to the front of the line. It could be a character directly owned by Universal or one that’s part of the movie a ride is based on.

This game is pretty easy at the beginning but can get super difficult towards the end. The first person who can’t figure out a letter loses. You can also play this game in teams to help younger players play too.

4. Snack Time

When you have an hour in line it’s a great time to have a snack and have a drink of water. It’s so easy to get dehydrated in the Florida sun, so while sitting on the curb waiting for the parade have everyone drink some water. That way your family will stay hydrated and you don’t have to stop later and take up valuable attraction time.

5. Plan your next move

When traveling in a group there is little that wastes more time than the following conversation.

Person 1: Where do you want to eat?
Person 2: I don’t know. Where do you want to eat?
Person 1: I don’t care. What do you want?

I think everyone has been there, and it just tends to frustrate everyone involved in the conversation. The more people involved, the longer it will take. The 45 minutes you are waiting in line is the perfect time to plan where you will have lunch.

Whatever option you pick, make sure to use your time wisely. You can have some fun and get a lot of accomplished during that time. It doesn’t have to be a waste of your day. Filling your day with fun is the goal after all.